Title

Author

Date of Award

1998

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Leadership Studies

Abstract

During the twelve years of the Third Reich, thousands of oil paintings and watercolors were removed from museums and hundreds of sculptures were taken from churches and other buildings. Many would dismiss this behavior as simply another example of Hitler's megalomania. Indeed, this attack on all modern art (at the time, considered to be some of the best in the world) os a display of authority and arrogance. However, it is also a tacit assertion of Hitler that he fully understood the power of art as a form of expression. He realized that art exists not only as a vehicle to evoke pleasant feelings or to carry political messages, but also as the ideal medium for creating and directing thoughts, desires, and dreams. It empowered the National Socialists to program people's emotions and direct their behavior.

Recommended Citation

Blair, Gordon L., "The dark side of leadership and the arts" (1998). Honors Theses. 1149.
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses/1149